Harrisburg Handbook

Harrisburg Handbook

A basic guide to the Pennsylvania General Assembly

Who are the lawmakers?
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 203 House Districts, each with about 60,000 people. Representatives serve 2-year terms. All are up for election every even-numbered year.There are 50 Senate Districts, each with about 242,000 people. Senators serve 4-year terms. Those in odd-numbered districts up for election in 2008. Those in even-numbered districts are up for election in 2010. The House currently has 104 Democrats and 99 Republicans. The Senate has 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The majority party in each chamber controls all committee chairmanships and the flow of legislation. All floor sessions and committee meetings are open to the public pursuant to the Sunshine (open meetings) Act.

How do laws get made?
A bill can be introduced in either the House or the Senate. Each bill has a prime sponsor, who is listed first on the bill. Other members can become cosponsors. When it is introduced it is given a number and referred to a relevant committee. The chair of the committee has control over whether any bill in that committee is considered and voted on. The chair may or may not hold public hearings on bills; public hearings are not necessary for a bill to be considered. To act on a bill, the chair will call a committee meeting. Upon a motion, the committee will vote to report the bill out of committee. Most bills are then referred to the Appropriations Committee to determine their fiscal impact on the state. That committee will then follow the same process. The bill is then placed on the House (or Senate) calendar and can be voted on by the full chamber after it has been on the calendar for at least three days. Bills can be amended in committee or on the House or Senate floor. If the bill passes, it goes to the other chamber and is subject to the same process. If the second chamber amends the bill it will go back to the original chamber for a vote on concurrence in the amendments. If they concur it goes to the governor for signing. If they "non-concur" it goes to a conference committee to work out the differences.

Advocacy Access Points
All state senators have legislative staff. It is important to educate them about issues of concern because they make recommendations and provide background to the senator. Most state representatives, except for committee chairs and those in the leadership, have support staff but do not have legislative staff. It is important to educate the representatives directly.

In deciding whether to cosponsor or vote for a bill, most legislators listen to the concerns of their constituents. Other than on a few hot-button issues, state legislators typically get very few letters or e-mails from constituents on any given issue. People should not underestimate the influence they can have with state legislators.

Ways to influence legislators:

●      through the Administration and the various departments of state government
●      by working with other interest groups
●      contacting the media
●      reaching out to other legislators
●      making campaign contributions
●      rallying other constituents
●      speaking to them directly!

Correspondence to all legislators can be sent to House (or Senate) Post Office, Main Capitol, Harrisburg, PA 17120. The Capitol Switchboard is (717) 787-2121. Information on all legislators (including e-mail addresses, district office information, etc.) can be obtained from http://www.legis.state.pa.us/